60 minute read
2021 Sustainable Business Impact Awards Shortlisted Projects
Excellence in CSR Communication
*Large Indigenous Company | **Multinational Company
A&L Goodbody AIB Boots Ireland
Communication of ALG’s Responsible Business strategy AIB Sustainability Conference, Climate Finance Week Ireland 2020 Boots Ireland ‘Safe Space’ Initiative
A&L Goodbody
There is little chance of achieving engagement and understanding from employees and key stakeholders without a wellcommunicated responsible business strategy. With remote working, A&L Goodbody redoubled its efforts to deliver strong communications to maintain momentum behind its various programmes and initiatives. This was also used to foster a sense of common purpose and connectedness among employees, and to maintain strong relationships with stakeholders. In a highly interconnected world A&L Goodbody could not afford to leave any doubt about its commitment to its responsible business obligations. It sought to drive awareness among its people, partners and stakeholders about its responsible business policy, objectives, initiatives and achievements through a communication strategy built on a culture of collaboration, inclusivity, listening and transparency. The 2020 AIB Sustainability Conference was the fourth instalment of the event and the second consecutive year with AIB as lead sponsor of Climate Finance Week Ireland. The event underpinned AIB as leading the sustainable fi nance agenda and required transition to a low carbon economy in Ireland. It has also emerged as the leading sustainable fi nance conference in Ireland. Sustainability now sits as the fi fth pillar in AIB’s business strategy and this event has become its fl agship initiative to demonstrate thought leadership and stakeholder engagement. The 2020 conference and climate fi nance week event saw 5,000+ people attend and 5.4 million impressions on social media. In June 2020, Boots Ireland launched a Safe Space initiative in partnership with Safe Ireland. Women who experience domestic violence can go to any one of 89 Boots stores and access a Safe Space in a pharmacy consultation room. In this confi dential space they can contact one of the 39 frontline specialist domestic abuse services across the country and access free, confi dential support and advice. Boots Ireland developed a strategic communications campaign to highlight the vital support that is available through its stores nationwide throughout the pandemic at a time when it was needed most.
Excellence in CSR Communication
*Large Indigenous Company | **Multinational Company
Earth’s Edge EirGrid
B Corp Awareness Pivoting to Virtual Engagement in response to Covid-19
Earth’s Edge
In March 2021, adventure travel company Earth’s Edge announced its new status as a B Corp. Not only was it a newlyrecognised B Corp but it was also the highest rated B Corp in Ireland. To increase its impact, Earth’s Edge initiated a campaign to encourage other businesses to undertake the rigorous assessment to become B Corp. Their belief was that increasing the number of businesses run in a sustainable and environmentally-aware manner would be better for businesses, people, and the planet. To spread this message, Earth’s Edge launched a campaign over email, social media, blogs and via their podcast to actively encourage other businesses to follow suit and offered their own advice and assistance during the assessment process. The challenging public health context of the Covid-19 pandemic had a signifi cant impact on EirGrid’s public engagement. Direct contact with communities, landowners and elected representatives were signifi cantly affected as many of its normal means of engagement were no longer possible. EirGrid used this opportunity to accelerate its innovation in the digital engagement space. Initially, all planned project consultations for the fi rst half of 2020 were postponed with this time used to build internal capacity to prepare for virtual engagement. Technical solutions including webinars, digital workshops, virtual exhibitions and microsites were investigated and liaison, communication, engagement and project management teams trained. This resulted in 23 successful public consultation events in 2020 with over 100 events now underway in 2021.
EirGrid
Excellence in Community
– PARTNERSHIP WITH A CHARITY (LIC*)
*Large Indigenous Company | **Multinational Company
A&L Goodbody AIB Earth’s Edge
PILA - Championing Change through Legal Pro Bono Building Inclusive Banking at AIB with the NOW Group Equipment Lending Initiative with the Kilimanjaro Porter Assistance Programme
AIB
Public interest law is the bedrock of human rights protection in Ireland. It is the law that goes to the very core of our society, affecting the rights, wellbeing, health and fi nances of our people as a whole. Most importantly, it advocates for those who are disadvantaged or marginalised. For over a decade, Public Interest Law Alliance (PILA) has been instrumental in nurturing a vibrant civil society network of students, academics and legal professionals who work to promote public interest law and nurture a growing pro bono culture in Ireland. A&L Goodbody has been on this journey with PILA, fi rst as a member of the alliance and latterly as a Sustaining Partner and Founding Signatory of Pro Bono Pledge Ireland. Having control over your money is fundamental to living independently but a communication barrier can diminish a person’s confi dence and impact their ability to do so. AIB’s Vulnerable Customer Programme partnered with NOW Group to promote the rights and the voice of people with a learning diffi culty or communication barrier. The NOW group is a member-led organisation whose participants invented the JAM Card as a way for people to indicate when they need ‘Just A Minute’. Becoming JAM Card friendly allows AIB to show they understand the challenges their customers face and will support them on their own terms. The NOW Group and AIB work together to embed a culture of understanding, develop inclusive services and connect with customers. Through their work as an adventure travel company, Earth’s Edge leads expeditions in high altitude locations around the world. Kilimanjaro is their most popular destination. Since the inception of the business, they have worked to ensure they are an ethical employer to the porters who help their clients on the mountain. This work is physically demanding and the porters don’t have the benefi t of high-tech clothing and equipment worn by Irish visitors. Since 2015, Earth’s Edge has worked with the Kilimanjaro Porter Assistance Project to guarantee ethical workplace standards and run an equipment lending scheme. Through this partnership, they organise donations from their network of clients and send lightly-used mountain clothing and gear for porters to use on treks.
Excellence in Community
– PARTNERSHIP WITH A CHARITY (LIC*)
*Large Indigenous Company | **Multinational Company
Gas Networks Ireland
Gas Networks Ireland partnership with Age Action
Goodbody
The An Cosán Apprenticeship
John Cradock Ltd
Jigginstown House - A residential facility for vulnerable young adults
Gas Networks Ireland has been a partner of Age Action since 2016, providing over €250,000 worth of carbon monoxide alarms to Age Action’s Care and Repair programme. Over 50,000 carbon monoxide alarms have been installed to date and the partnership has grown signifi cantly with GNI raising over €100,000 through its customer care survey process. In 2020, GNI provided fi nancial support for Age Action’s Covid-19 response and volunteers helped upskill older people to use smartphones and computers to keep in touch with loved ones. In 2021, GNI launched it’s ‘Strong Roots, Green Shoots’ campaign, a planet-friendly calendar of fundraising events in line with the company’s sustainability ethos. In the current economic climate, corporate organisations face major recruitment and staff challenges. These include but are not limited to recruitment costs, high staff turnover, rising salaries, skills shortages, competing entities, and the prospect of full employment. The An Cosán Apprenticeship offers corporate partners skilled and motivated employees who are eager to take on a professional opportunity and enhance their longerterm employability. Furthermore, through developing a relationship with An Cosán, corporate organisations get an opportunity to positively impact a charity with deep roots in a local community and a fundamental focus on empowering people through education. Young adults exiting state care are at higher risk of homelessness with some among the most vulnerable members of local communities across Ireland. Homeless Care, a charity based in Kildare, was committed to addressing this issue. John Cradock Ltd shared this vision and established a long-term strategic partnership to deliver on their aligned goals. The partnership commenced with little fanfare but big ambition and reached its objectives in 2021 with the completion of a purpose-built residential training facility and the signing of a licencing agreement to secure its operation for the next three years. In collaboration with Kildare County Council and local society, it supports some of the most vulnerable members of the local community and enables them to reach their potential.
John Cradock Ltd
Excellence in Community
– PARTNERSHIP WITH A CHARITY (LIC*)
*Large Indigenous Company | **Multinational Company
KPMG Permanent TSB SuperValu
Focus on Literacy - Gift a Book Concert4Cancer brought to you by the Permanent TSB Community Fund SuperValu and AsIAm’s ‘Bridge Back to School’, an autism-friendly resource
KPMG
KPMG’s partnership with Children’s Books Ireland on the Gift a Book campaign saw over 8,000 books distributed to children experiencing homelessness, living in direct provision and from the Travelling community. Providing access to books has the potential to reduce social inequalities and leverage future academic/job success. While improved literacy is a powerful tool for agency and socioeconomic advancement, reading for pleasure is also associated with supporting personal development such as increased empathy and prosocial behaviour, understanding of other cultures, community participation, decisionmaking and insight into human nature. KPMG and Children’s Books Ireland have a shared vision on the importance of literacy and engaging as many people as possible in its ambition to extend the joy and love of reading. The impact of Covid-19 has signifi cantly challenged the charity sector and the Marie Keating Foundation is no different. As a leading voice in Ireland for cancer prevention, awareness and support, it saw the provision of vital cancer services disrupted by the onset of a global pandemic. To help support delivery of these critical services, the Permanent TSB Community Fund joined with the Marie Keating Foundation for the Concert4Cancer event in August 2020. It featured a host of national and international stars including Ronan Keating, Gary Barlow and Riverdance and raised over €500,000. This enabled the Foundation to continue to provide critical support to the people of Ireland. Every child in the country has been challenged by the pandemic but the lack of structure and routine was particularly diffi cult for families in the autism community. Building on their partnership with AsIAm, SuperValu developed Bridge Back to School, a valuable educational resource for the Autism community. The programme was developed in collaboration with AsIAm and experienced educator Professor Emer Ring of Mary Immaculate College. Initially planned to help those with high support needs prepare during the summer to return to school in September, 20,000 copies of the booklet were made available in SuperValu stores nationwide in July. It was also offered as a downloadable toolkit through the SuperValu website.
Excellence in Community
– PARTNERSHIP WITH A CHARITY (MNC*)
*Large Indigenous Company | **Multinational Company
Aldi Ireland Boots Ireland Diageo Ireland
Aldi Ireland & FoodCloud Partnership Boots Ireland and The Irish Cancer Society Partnership Dublin City Volunteer Centre: Together for Christmas campaign
Food waste and food poverty are two large issues within Ireland. In order to reduce its food waste and help local communities around Ireland, Aldi partnered with FoodCloud, who redistribute food to local charities and communities. Surplus food redistribution is a win-win for people and our planet, and offers an opportunity to build a better, more sustainable and food-secure future for us all. Since partnering with FoodCloud in 2014, Aldi has donated over 2.16 million meals to over 200 charities saving the sector over €2.6 million. The partnership continues to grow with Aldi expanding its donations to a larger number of communities in 2021 and they are aiming to donate 2.25 million meals by the end of 2021. Boots Ireland and the Irish Cancer Society continue to work with a shared vision to raise awareness and promote cancer prevention and early detection, and to provide support to those affected by cancer. Boots continues to use the expertise of their Boots Irish Cancer Society Information Pharmacists and Boots Cancer Beauty Advisors to support those affected by cancer and engages colleagues in fundraising activities for the Night Nursing service. This provides up to 10 nights free end of life care, allowing patients to pass at home surrounded by family and loved ones while receiving very special care. The partnership has provided over 6,300 nights of care and over €2.1 million in fundraising. It extended support for the partnership as the main sponsors of Daffodil Day since 2018. The Lord Mayor of Dublin and Diageo collaborated to support the Dublin City Volunteer Centre with its Together for Christmas campaign. Through the campaign, Diageo provided 200 Christmas gift boxes to the value of €10,000 containing personal care items for vulnerable groups including asylum seekers, homeless people and families in refuges. Diageo strengthened its support for the charity and engaged its workforce by hosting a festive employee fundraising event to raise additional funds for the charity and its Christmas campaign.
Aldi Ireland
Excellence in Community
– PARTNERSHIP WITH A CHARITY (MNC*)
*Large Indigenous Company | **Multinational Company
Intel Ireland
Intel Signature Charity Program
Microsoft Ireland
Microsoft Empowering Enable Ireland’s Virtual Service Centres for Adults
The Irish Heart Foundation, Abbott & ESB Networks
The Hard and Fast Rule
The Irish Heart Foundation, Abbott & ESB Networks
Intel’s Site Charity Program efforts include cash donations and matching funds, deployment of employee volunteers and work with partners to support long-term community rebuilding efforts with a charity. Intel partnered with CHI Crumlin and listened to the needs of the charity with 1 in 100 children in Ireland now being born with a structural heart defect of some kind. The need for CHI Crumlin to have the most innovative technology to care for these patients is vital and the operating beds that Intel employees raised funds for was essential. Intel volunteered over 2,700 hours of time through various events and clubs, and donated laptops to ensure staff had the foundations in place to continue working from home during the pandemic. When the pandemic hit, Enable Ireland’s Day Centres were forced to close. This meant that Service Owners who availed of these services each day were isolated at home with limited contact and engagement with the outside world. Microsoft worked with Enable Ireland to develop a Virtual Service Centre which was initially piloted with two Dublin Services and then successfully rolled out to Adult Services in 13 locations. Microsoft supported Enable Ireland at all stages from ideation to design, training and delivery. The team at Microsoft remain available to Enable Ireland as they constantly look to refi ne the model to ensure the virtual services remain available in a postpandemic environment to allow them to reach more people in need. Thousands of people die every year in Ireland from a cardiac arrest and approximately 70% of those happen at home in front of a loved one. If someone is there and can start performing CPR quickly, they can double or even triple a person’s chances of survival. With Covid-19 restrictions forcing the cancellation of vital nationwide CPR training for 100,000 people, the Irish Heart Foundation, Abbott and ESB Networks produced a successful multi-platform campaign that brought two simple lifesaving steps to an audience of millions, potentially saving many lives in years to come. A fun and entertaining approach, combined with hard-hitting fi rst-person stories, a digitalfi rst media plan and clever use of resources ensured the campaign cut through in a packed media environment of Covid-19 public health messaging.
Excellence in Community
– VOLUNTEERING (LIC*)
*Large Indigenous Company | **Multinational Company
Arthur Cox
Arthur Cox’s Innovative Virtual Engagement with The Early Learning Initiative
Since April 2020, and the onset of the pandemic, Arthur Cox continued to work with its longterm partner, the Early Learning Initiative, on an innovative virtual engagement programme. By pivoting online, its volunteers continued to help many young people in disadvantaged communities to progress on their educational journeys despite Government restrictions as a result of the pandemic.
Earth’s Edge
Explore, Experience, Evolve
Earth’s Edge specialises in adventure trips to locations like Kilimanjaro, Machu Picchu and Everest Base Camp. But they’re well aware that expeditions such as these aren’t within everyone’s grasp. To address this, the company launched Explore, Experience, Evolve. Through its voluntary work and connection with Warrenmount School, Earth’s Edge takes groups of marginalised female students on free outdoor adventures to experience the physical and mental benefi ts of exploring the great outdoors. These adventures within Ireland help them feel empowered, happy and enthusiastic about fi tness and the outdoors. As the initiative has evolved over the years, it now serves as a reward for students who report good attendance and behaviour.
Gas Networks Ireland
Gas Networks Ireland’s 10-year volunteering partnership with Junior Achievement Ireland
Gas Networks Ireland (GNI) has been an enthusiastic supporter of Junior Achievement Ireland (JAI) for ten years. Over 350 GNI volunteers have facilitated JAI programmes while GNI has partnered with JAI to roll-out numerous STEM education initiatives to students across Ireland. The GNI-supported Energize STEM programme is JAI’s most popular with more than 5,000 students participating each year. GNI has supported over 1,000 volunteers from businesses across Ireland to deliver STEM programmes and 25,000 primary students nationwide have been introduced to science through initiatives supported by GNI. GNI volunteers help young people of all ages to fully understand the role that education will play in shaping their futures and equip them with the skills, knowledge and confi dence needed to succeed in the changing world of work.
KPMG
KPMG BOLD GIRLS meets 20x20 initiative
The KPMG BOLD GIRLS meets 20x20 initiative highlighted inequalities around women in sport. Female athletes still receive only a small proportion of the media coverage their male counterparts receive, smaller attendance at events and lower prize pots. 20x20 aimed to create a cultural shift in the perception of women in sport. While successful, KPMG sought to extend its reach by supporting primary schools with inclass learning, engagement and debate. In 2020, KPMG took its existing BOLD GIRLS programme and reinvented it with a focus on the 20x20 campaign as a way to support women in sport by focusing on literacy in the classroom and volunteer work. This unique initiative made it easy for schools to continue the valued discussion about female equality through books and KPMG resources to support engagement.
Excellence in Community
– VOLUNTEERING (MNC*)
*Large Indigenous Company | **Multinational Company
Abbott Facebook Ireland Intel Ireland
ASPIRE with Abbott Facebook Ireland’s Social Good Programme Intel Involved - Volunteering through a Pandemic
Abbott
ASPIRE with Abbott is an innovative fi rst-of-its-kind digital STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) showcase. It offers attendees a unique STEM conference experience and the opportunity to connect with some of Ireland’s most fascinating STEM ambassadors. In 2020, this included 51 individual speakers across 16 sessions featuring Abbott employees, NASA Datanaut Fionnghuala O’Reilly, Dr Niamh Shaw, Gaming Engineer Brenda Romero and more. With 15 STEM education organisations on hand, the event also provides students across Ireland with health and wellness supports on nutrition, sleep, exercise and mental health. A fl agship event for Science Week, in partnership with Science Foundation Ireland, ASPIRE with Abbott prides itself on being one of the most diverse, inclusive and accessible STEM events of the year. Facebook Ireland’s Social Good programme aims to foster an internal community that cares by empowering employees to have a positive realworld impact in their communities. Managed by a voluntary local committee, Facebook Ireland created volunteering and engagement opportunities which allowed employees to contribute time, skills and money to the causes they care about the most. The team delivered ‘Friday for Good’, a free monthly workshop series open to non-profi ts and charities. Facebook employees introduced NGOs to the digital tools available on Facebook and Instagram and offered one-to-one creative inspiration and consulting about the nonprofi t’s aims and challenges. The team also delivered quarterly events to engage employees with the causes they identifi ed as the most important issues to support with over 1,700 participants and more than €200,000 raised. During 2020, Intel adapted its Involved Program to meet the social needs and changes that arose due to Covid-19. Volunteering has been part of Intel’s culture since its inception and is supported through all levels and leadership within the business. Recognising its employees could not volunteer in the traditional way, the company found ways to adapt. To respond to the needs of its communities, Intel employees took to Zoom to provide classes and training while others made PPE. The company’s employees stepped up and volunteered over 178,000 hours – more than ever. This achievement conveys the resilience, determination and commitment to volunteering that has been demonstrated by Intel’s employees throughout this pandemic.
Excellence in Community
– VOLUNTEERING (MNC*)
*Large Indigenous Company | **Multinational Company
Medtronic VMware
Spotlight Pilot - Medtronic and COPE Galway Virtual Volunteering at VMware
Medtronic
407 employees. 1,463 hours. 1,913 benefi ciaries. This programme was launched in December 2020 and was completely revamped due to Covid-19 restrictions. Medtronic employees offered their time, skills and voices to support COPE Galway at a time of immense pressure and concern in the community. A menu of volunteering opportunities was provided to employees to accommodate all levels and time commitments. Some packed hampers to brighten a sociallydistanced Christmas, others taught IT and fi nancial planning skills, more supported wellness and resilience opportunities for charity volunteers and hundreds attended virtual advocacy sessions to learn how their voice could improve the lives of others. This is not the end of the Medtronic and COPE Galway partnership bus was a special and memorable highlight for all involved. VMware Ireland has a culture of service that has been cultivated over several years through a daily schedule of in-person volunteering opportunities. With the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, VMware quickly pivoted this focus from in-person volunteering to virtual volunteering to uphold its culture of service. VMware Ireland has shown resilience in being able to adapt to the changing CSR landscape to provide safe and fl exible volunteering opportunities to their workforce in Ireland of over 1,000 employees. VMware calls this Service Learning and it is a key part of daily life at the company. Employees have benefi ted from the new virtual fl exible volunteering options which has allowed them to remain connected to the community while making positive impacts to causes important to each individual.
VMware
A&L Goodbody Excellence in Community
– COMMUNITY PROGRAMME (LIC*)
*Large Indigenous Company | **Multinational Company
AIB Arthur Cox Earth’s Edge
Supporting social inclusion through our educational programmes AIB Together AIB’s community programme The Arthur Cox Virtual Legal Education Programme for DEIS Schools The Porter Project: Interest Free Micro Business Loans
Supporting social inclusion through our educational initiatives is an important part of A&L Goodbody’s overall responsible business strategy. Now more than ever social inclusion is an extremely prevalent issue as the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic show that inequalities are growing in our society. Giving young people access to additional educational opportunities is core to what we want to achieve with our partnerships in the local community. We hope that through the various programmes we support, this will also increase the students’ chances of progressing to college, completing third-level education and entering into employment. AIB Together is a Groupwide community programme of core partnerships, volunteering, corporate giving and fundraising. As well as signifi cant fi nancial investment into core partners FoodCloud and Soar, this programme offers two days per year for each employee to volunteer for local charities or community organisations. To date, AIB employees have donated over 9,000 hours to a wide range of charities and causes. Key themes of the programme are supporting sustainable communities, with a specifi c focus on youth and education, and social entrepreneurship. The Arthur Cox Virtual Legal Education Programme has partnered with DEIS schools located in disadvantaged communities to deliver interactive and fun legal education training throughout the pandemic. To date, four DEIS schools and 120 students have benefi tted from this online interactive project, delivered by a team of 50 Arthur Cox staff, representing over 250 volunteer hours. The development of the Arthur Cox Virtual Legal Education Programme has allowed delivery of an online programme that provides students with awareness, knowledge and understanding of rights and legal issues, together with the confi dence and skills they need to deal with disputes and gain access to justice. While adventure travel company Earth’s Edge was greatly impacted by Covid-19, its immediate concern was the welfare of the freelance porters, guides and cooks it works with around the world. Despite its own revenue falling by more than 90% in 2020, Earth’s Edge launched an initiative to provide interestfree small business loans in Tanzania, Peru and Nepal. The project funded 17 new businesses and projects ranging from goat farms and phone shops to agricultural initiatives and crops. To fund the scheme, it launched a campaign that donated 50% from each booking deposit for a new trip made between now and 2025. This scheme initially raised €10,979 and created projected income of €160,000 for Earth’s Edge which will also support employment for their teams worldwide.
Excellence in Community
– COMMUNITY PROGRAMME (LIC*)
*Large Indigenous Company | **Multinational Company
Gas Networks Ireland
Gas Networks Ireland supports schools through BITCI’s Schools Business Partnership
KPMG
Making a Difference
Permanent TSB
Building Affordable Family Homes - A Partnership With Ó Cualann
GNI has a long history of supporting communities across Ireland. Education is a key vehicle for this and the company has supported BITCI’s SBP programme for 17 years. Initially as pilot funder for the now hugely successful Time to Read programme, it has also maintained links with schools local to its Cork and Dublin offi ces. Some of its school partnerships have existed for over 15 years and its support of the SBP is its longest running CSR initiative. Since 2005, GNI employees have delivered over 20,000 volunteering hours and positively impacted 800 secondary students and 230 primary students. This long-standing partnership has changed the lives of the children and their families and is also greatly enhancing employee engagement and enjoyment. Giving back to the communities in which it operates is an important part of KPMG’s mission. The company works with individuals and community groups to make these areas better places to live. Education is a key pillar of its Corporate Citizenship strategy which KPMG considers paramount to developing a society for future success. During 2020, KPMG introduced distant volunteering opportunities that could be undertaken safely from home and identifi ed three areas that were most in need of support during the pandemic. These were Elderly isolation, Education and Employment. It then partnered with organisations to provide 130 engaged KPMG volunteers who offered their support safely from their homes. The housing crisis is arguably the biggest social and economic issue that has faced Ireland in recent years and the onset of the global pandemic has only amplifi ed the challenge. In July 2020, Permanent TSB announced a three-year partnership with Ó Cualann to support the agency in developing fully integrated, co-operative and affordable housing schemes in communities across the country. As part of the partnership, Permanent TSB will provide Ó Cualann with €350,000 to fund the resources needed to accelerate its plans to build over 1,800 houses across Ireland over three years. The partnership, and the Ó Cualann model, is an innovative way to address the housing crisis and is the fi rst of its kind in Ireland. Now more than ever social inclusion is an extremely prevalent issue as the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic show that inequalities are growing in our society.
A&L Goodbody
Abbott
Croí an Óir: Supporting Our Communities
Excellence in Community
– COMMUNITY PROGRAMME (MNC**)
*Large Indigenous Company | **Multinational Company
Aldi Ireland
Aldi’s Community Grants Programme
Boots Ireland
Dementia - Understand Together Campaign & Boots
Canada Life Reinsurance Ireland
Water for Life
Abbott, which has called Ireland its home for 75 years, passionately believes in supporting its communities through economic development, volunteering and establishing successful community partnerships that create lasting positive impacts in the locations in which people work and live. Abbott employees have a passion for volunteerism, local communities and helping others, the core values of Abbott’s Croí an Óir programme. Through Croí an Óir, volunteer leaders at all nine sites in Ireland share a commitment to deliver their positive infl uence nationwide by giving their time, expertise and enthusiasm to share key skills, collaborate with local partners and help strengthen communities across Ireland. In an effort to support local communities and employee engagement, Aldi Ireland launched the Community Grants Programme in 2016. Each year, the Aldi Community Grants Programme gives employees from each store, offi ce and Regional Distribution Centre the opportunity to nominate and vote for a local charity to receive a €500 donation from Aldi. Since 2016, Aldi employees have supported over 750 different charities and community groups around Ireland through Aldi’s Community Grants, covering a wide range of causes, including mental health, rescue services and homelessness. By the end of 2020, a total fund of €375,000 has been donated through this programme. Boots Ireland, a partner of the Dementia: Understand Together campaign has undertaken a signifi cant step in supporting people living with dementia in communities across Ireland by providing training to all staff that will promote a dementia-inclusive environment across its 89 retail and pharmacy outlets. The training module helps staff to identify people with dementia when they visit a store or pharmacy and the ways in which a staff member can facilitate a dementia-inclusive experience for the customer. With 11 people per day continuing to receive a diagnosis, community inclusivity is key to the wellbeing of those affected by Dementia. Canada Life Reinsurance, together with its community partner O’Connell School in Dublin, launched Ireland’s fi rst Smart Water Station. O’Connell School serves the community of Dublin’s inner city and has a diverse mix of nationalities, many having started their journey as refugees living in temporary accommodation nearby. The partnership identifi ed a challenge of children bringing sugar-based soft drinks to school and the impact on health and plastic waste in the school and environs. A local supplier, Water Stations Ireland was sourced to develop a Smart Water Station. The fi rst in Ireland, the station provides a data usage dashboard which is used for maths projects and sustainability awareness. Through the project, two students will start an apprenticeship with Canada Life Reinsurance after their Leaving Certifi cate.
Excellence in Community
–COMMUNITY PROGRAMME (MNC**)
*Large Indigenous Company | **Multinational Company
Diageo Ireland DMG Media Zimmer Biomet
Guinness Raising the Bar Supporting Communities Across Ireland through Covid-19 campaign Hop On Board
Raising the Bar is a €14 million fund established by Diageo, maker of Guinness, in June 2020 to support pubs and bars across the island of Ireland to overcome the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and help them prepare for reopening. Available for a period of two years, the fund is focused on the provision of practical equipment and confi dencebuilding measures needed for outlets to reopen and operate on a safe and sustainable basis. Since its launch, over 5,000 businesses have registered and 21,000 staff have been provided with Governmentapproved training to support Covid-19 compliance. The initiative funded the creation of a dedicated mental health and fi nancial support helpline and will continue to support pubs throughout 2021 and 2022. DMG Media’s Supporting Communities Across Ireland through Covid-19 strategy acted as a lifeline to Irish SMEs and the entertainment industry by supporting small businesses with free advertising and Irish artists and venues with free broadcast studio events. This allowed these businesses and artists to maintain contact with DMG Media’s audience of 3.6 million while also upskilling and learning to do business online. As the largest sales drive in the history of DMG Media, the initiatives also built the DMG Media team’s company pride, developed a greater sense of purpose and increased job satisfaction. It had the further benefi t of fostering national pride and reconnection with experiences lost during the pandemic. Zimmer Biomet, a medical device manufacturer of orthopaedic implants in the Mid-West, wanted to help alleviate anxiety within the educational community when it was time for staff and students to return to the classroom. An information and discussion event for principals, featuring practical advice and safety resources, aligned with Government Covid-19 guidelines, was organised to enable principals to learn about best practice and share knowledge with their peer group. Child-friendly signage was created to help promote the message for the target audience while team members utilised skills from the workplace to ensure that classrooms were set up in a socially-distanced manner and mounted signage in prominent areas. This has allowed for safe reopening and the return to primary school of over 4,000 children.
Diageo Ireland
Excellence in Environment (LIC*)
*Large Indigenous Company | **Multinational Company
AIB Group plc
Pledging to do More - Net Zero in AIB
Earth’s Edge
Tree Planting Programme
Gas Networks Ireland
Carbon Footprint Reduction Roadmap
The climate challenge is unlike any other and has strengthened AIB’s steadfast commitment to sustainability leadership. For AIB, that means reducing its carbon footprint across its operations and helping customers make the transition to a low-carbon economy. AIB is committing to achieve carbon neutrality across operations by 2030 using a net zero approach. By 2040, its ambition is to align its customer lending portfolio across all sectors to net zero carbon emissions (with the exception of agriculture which will likely need greater support to align with the Government of Ireland’s Climate Action Plan). These commitments will mean more fi nancing for activities that are better for the environment, less for the things that do harm and support for customers on every step of the journey. As an adventure travel company, Earth’s Edge runs expeditions to some of the most beautiful places on Earth, from Kilimanjaro to Machu Picchu. However, they know that fl ying to these destinations has a huge impact on the environment. In response to this, they launched a Tree Planting Programme which sees three native trees planted in Ireland for every Earth’s Edge client. Instead of outsourcing this scheme, they do all of the planting themselves with community-based planting events taking place every year. To date, this programme has resulted in the planting of over 2,500 native Irish trees. Climate Change is one of the most urgent global challenges. Gas Networks Ireland’s vision is for the gas network to evolve to become net zero carbon by 2050. In doing so, it will support emissions reductions across every sector of the Irish economy at the lowest cost possible. GNI’s carbon reduction roadmap project is instrumental in driving carbon reduction and energy effi ciencies across its own operations. It will continue to work with stakeholders and is committed to being transparent about its sustainability performance and reporting on its GHG/ carbon emissions in line with best practice. By 2040, its ambition is to align its customer lending portfolio across all sectors to net zero carbon emissions (with the exception of agriculture which will likely need greater support to align with the Government of Ireland’s Climate Action Plan).
AIB
Excellence in Environment (LIC*)
*Large Indigenous Company | **Multinational Company
Hotel Doolin Irish Water John Sisk & Son
Hotel Doolin – Ireland’s fi rst carbon neutral hotel and its work during the pandemic Embedding Sustainability in Water Services Sisk’s 2030 Environment Commitments
John Sisk & Son
During the fi rst lockdown, Hotel Doolin had to close and used this time as an opportunity to contribute to the local community. The hotel staff met with many people whom they hadn’t previously known and it provided staff with the opportunity to have a positive impact on the lives of people in the locality. Hotel Doolin also spread the message of how to become a carbon neutral hotel by organising webinars for other businesses and offered several site visits before the pandemic. Hotel Doolin was the fi rst hotel to be certifi ed as carbon neutral by Green Hospitality and invested signifi cant amounts of its own time to guide other businesses in how to achieve the same outcome. Irish Water is passionate about improving the sustainability of water services and playing its part in building a more sustainable future. To do this, it is implementing strategies to support a sustainability framework aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and taking a proactive approach to sustainability across its water and wastewater assets. The UN SDGs have set an ambitious framework and provide for a waterspecifi c goal (Goal 6) to ensure the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. Irish Water has made signifi cant progress on its sustainability journey and, as guardians of Ireland’s water and wastewater assets, has a dedicated sustainability team to integrate and embed sustainability and sustainable development within the company. Sisk has developed a longterm strategy to ensure sustainability is embedded into its business. A key part of those sustainability ambitions is addressing environmental concerns. That includes steering the sustainable management and use of natural resources while contributing to the circular economy to drive environmental improvements. It is also focused on tackling climate change and air pollution by driving energy effi ciency and reducing its carbon footprint as it works towards carbon neutrality. The climate emergency represents an urgent challenge with Sisk committed to playing its part by standing up and demonstrating leadership through its actions.
Excellence in Environment (MNC**)
*Large Indigenous Company | **Multinational Company
Aldi Ireland Diageo Ireland Lilly Kinsale
Aldi’s Plastic & Packaging Pledges Sustainable waste beer disposal initiative Lilly Kinsale Solar Farm
The production of plastic is increasing globally which has resulted in a rise in plastic waste. Aldi’s pledge to reduce and remove unnecessary waste from its products addresses its ongoing commitment to becoming a more sustainable business across its entire product range. To date, this project has seen the removal of over 2,050 tonnes of virgin plastic, the transition of 930 tonnes of non-recyclable packaging to recyclable packaging and the removal of diffi cult to recycle plastics from stores. The key aim of this project was to process returned beer into environmentally sustainable products. Diageo committed to taking back unsold, outof-date kegs of beer from customers. This equalled more than 550,000 kegs from Ireland and abroad. Diageo diverted the returned beer to be processed in three environmentally-sustainable ways. Almost 90% of it was ‘land spread’ to fertilise Christmas trees at a farm in Ireland. The remainder was almost equally divided for use in composting and at one of the fi rst commercial anaerobic digestion facilities to produce environmentallyfriendly biogas as a replacement for fossil fuels. Pharmaceutical company Lilly partnered with renewables specialist Enerpower to install a 16-acre solar farm at its manufacturing site in Kinsale, Co. Cork. The solar farm required a €5m investment by Lilly, Enerpower and SEAI and led to the installation of over 12,600 solar panels across three fi elds at the Lilly Kinsale manufacturing site. At maximum output these panels can provide close to 4.5 MWp (or approx. 65%) of the site’s projected 2021 purchased power or the equivalent power consumption of 500 homes. It is a signifi cant contributor to Lilly’s sustainability objectives by reducing the site’s carbon footprint by over 2000T per year and is currently the largest private ‘behind the meter’ solar development in Ireland.
Aldi Ireland
Excellence in Environment (MNC**)
*Large Indigenous Company | **Multinational Company
Intel Ireland Irish Distillers Microsoft Ireland
Irish Distillers
Biodiversity caring for the environment Sustainable Green Spring Barley scheme
Through its voluntary work on biodiversity both on-site and in its communities, Intel Ireland has established programmes to help move the dial in a positive way. By helping employees, students in our local schools and members of the broader community understand the importance of taking action, Intel aims to build more sustainable communities. To date, it has enhanced, restored, and created biodiverse habitats in and around its campus and ensured continuous improvement by embedding biodiversity into its Environmental Management System. Intel Ireland has amplifi ed the impact of these initiatives beyond the limits of its site by supporting local partnerships for nature and engaging employees in efforts to support local wildlife. In 2020, Irish Distillers launched a tailored sustainability programme for barley growers - the Sustainable Green Spring Barley Scheme - which aims to support the long-term viability of the spring barley sector in Ireland by incentivising farmers to deliver further environmental benefi ts on their farms.
Microsoft Ireland’s Renewable Energy Project in Partnership with SSE Airtricity
A shared commitment to help build sustainable energy solutions in Ireland has brought Microsoft and SSE Airtricity together to deliver an innovative renewable energy generation project. Through this project 27 schools have had state-of-the-art, internet-connected solar PV installed on their rooftops. With an investment of close to €1 million, these schools can now power classrooms using energy generated from their own roof, reducing their carbon footprint and their costs. Microsoft Azure IoT aggregates the generation data from the schools and over 15 years, it is expected the solar panels will produce enough clean energy to offset more than 2.1 million kilograms of harmful C02 emissions. Working together, Microsoft and SSE Airtricity hope to develop the energy saving and carbon reduction potential of rooftop solar across Ireland.
Excellence in Workplace (LIC*)
*Large Indigenous Company | **Multinational Company
A&L Goodbody AIB Earth’s Edge
Reset. Revive. Thrive. Power of the Collective Workplace Wellness
The purpose of Reset. Revive. Thrive is to reset and clarify goals and expectations to help drive performance, revive and reenergise how staff connect and develop and improve skills in areas that will assist the business to thrive as it moves forward in a changed environment. Five areas were identifi ed as essential to A&L Goodbody’s ability to thrive in this environment: Connect – within and across teams. Contribute – motivate staff to sustain high performance and contribute to the team and fi rm. Learn – help employees to learn and develop. Adapt – identify new ways of working, communicating and connecting that support staff to thrive in a remote environment. Stay Well – make the wellbeing of all a priority. AIB has created a community of trained wellbeing professionals across its organisation known as wellbeing advocates. This passionate community of trained professionals plays a key role in embedding wellbeing as a bedrock of performance in the way AIB operates. Power of the Collective is a wellbeing programme that has been designed by staff, for staff. Responding to the disruption and stress caused by Covid-19, adventure travel company Earth’s Edge worked to create a workplace in which its team felt supported, safe and encouraged. As they switched to virtual working, the company launched a Workplace Wellness initiative with three main objectives. Through its Virtual Offi ce Stewardship, Earth’s Edge helped employees maintain the company’s strong sustainability policy while away from the offi ce. To support each employee to stay fi t and healthy, it provided a physical training programme with free personalised fi tness training and online physiotherapy. Finally, it sought to maintain its tight-knit sense of community through the introduction of a series of virtual team building initiatives.
Earth’s Edge
Excellence in Workplace (LIC*)
*Large Indigenous Company | **Multinational Company
KPMG SSE Airtricity
KPMG Wellbeing SSE Airtricity, proud sustainability partner to Dublin Zoo
KPMG
The KPMG Wellbeing programme aims for company staff to get the most out of their work life and home life. In 2020, the company went digital to support a new working from home approach and provided staff with the fl exibility and tools required for their changed circumstances. During the course of the year, KPMG offered over 20 virtual wellbeing initiatives to staff from webinars on sleep management, guided meditation, mental health, fi rst aid training, cooking demonstrations, yoga, avoiding burnout, eating during a pandemic and online gym classes. The company strives to provide an optimal place to work and in turn provide the best service for its clients. As Ireland’s largest generator and provider of green energy, SSE Airtricity is serious about delivering a positive impact in society and is committed to supporting customers and communities as it works towards a cleaner, greener future. SSE Airtricity has been a proud Sustainability Partner of Dublin Zoo since 2017. Dublin Zoo attracts over one million visitors every year, making it Ireland’s favourite family attraction. Dublin Zoo not only offers a great day out but a journey of learning and discovery about wildlife, conservation and sustainability. The sustainability partnership affords SSE Airtricity a unique opportunity to deliver on its commitment to a greener future while supporting the conservation and sustainability efforts of Dublin Zoo.
SSE Airtricity
Excellence in Workplace (MNC**)
*Large Indigenous Company | **Multinational Company
Abbott
LiveLifeWell (Empowering employees to live healthier, fuller lives)
DAC Beachcroft Dublin
Flex Forward
Diageo Ireland
Diageo Ireland: Focus on Wellbeing
The LiveLifeWell programme celebrates the power of good health by connecting employees with innovative, on-demand health promotion campaigns and resources. Developed from employee feedback and needs assessments in addition to reviewing health metrics, Abbott created a new holistic approach to employee health and provided innovative ways for employees to get involved regardless of age, location or physical abilities. This programme is led by a team of committed volunteers from across all nine sites who share a passion for good health and work to promote wellbeing among 4,500 Abbott employees. In 2020, over 1,300 employees availed of its wellbeing offerings and, for the fi rst time, family members of employees were offered the opportunity to connect to these programmes. Flex Forward is a new approach to work which will see the fi rm introduce three types of dynamic, location-based working – offi ce-focused, hybrid, and fully fl ex – to offer employees maximum fl exibility. In addition, the fi rm will introduce a more fl exible approach to working time by relaxing core hours and allowing employees to fl ex their hours across the day and week. David Pollitt, DAC Beachcroft’s Managing Partner, explains Flex Forward: “If someone wants to start work early, carve out an hour to go to the gym and another hour to do the school pick-up, all while working from home, Flex Forward supports that. It also supports our strategy to strengthen client relationships and improve our service by providing the increasing agility our clients expect.” Achieving a work-life balance has never been more important when set against the impact of Covid-19. Diageo Ireland: Focus on Wellbeing aims to ensure that employees are happy, healthy and able to celebrate life every day, everywhere. The strands of Diageo’s Focus on Wellbeing initiative provide an integrated approach that empowers and enables employees to “live” the dimensions of wellbeing both at home and at work. The employee-led Wellbeing Warriors is a holistic programme which offers targeted interventions to support working, physical, and mental wellness. The Future of Working fl exible philosophy provides principles for employees and managers to agree working patterns that optimise the ability of employees to deliver their best work. Diageo’s parental leave policy is another key part of this approach.
DAC Beachcroft Dublin
Excellence in Workplace (MNC**)
*Large Indigenous Company | **Multinational Company
John Sisk & Son Lidl Ireland VMware
Sisk’s Health and Wellbeing Programme Prioritising the safety and wellbeing of our colleagues and customers VMware Ireland’s Virtual Workplace
Lidl Ireland
Sisk’s health and wellbeing strategy takes a proactive approach to both prevent ill health and promote positive health. Care and consideration are taken to ensure programmes are available to all employees across Ireland, UK and mainland Europe. In 2020, Sisk focused on reacting to Covid-19 and the additional needs of its employees. Among the programmes offered were Management of a Suspected or Confi rmed Case, Private Testing Options, a Covid-19 Q&A, a Flu Vaccine programme and detailed information guides. The mental health of employees is at the forefront of all Sisk initiatives. To assist staff, the company provides an informal peer support programme and an Employee Assistance Programme with a dedicated wellbeing platform. Lidl’s Covid-19 response has been highly regarded as a swift and creative approach to crisis management. The retailer adopted a consistent, coordinated and human response to the pandemic which included multiple waves of customer and employee-facing initiatives. The safety of Lidl’s customers and employees has been a key focus and led to the development, procurement and execution of a host of protective measures including sanitation stations, social distancing signage, Perspex screens and in-store announcements. It also introduced several wellbeing campaigns including cookbooks on healthy eating for employees and essential workers, fl exible family-friendly working options and a new family leave programme. Lidl also enhanced collaboration between teams with the introduction of virtual team building and a digital wellbeing hub with exercise classes and wellbeing seminars. VMware’s virtual workplace project aims to enable company employees to continue to thrive and do their best work while nurturing a sense of belonging as they work from home and adapt to a new way of working into the future. The project was guided by a belief within VMware that creativity sparks innovation and inspires employees to think differently and challenge the status quo. Whether it’s the products they develop, their approach to sustainability, commitment to diversity and inclusion or how they give back to the community, VMware fi nds unique ways to bring people together.
Excellence in Social Enterprise
*Large Indigenous Company | **Multinational Company
A&L Goodbody
MyMind - Bridging the Gap in Mental Health Services
AIB
AIB Together Community Programme Partnership with FoodCloud
The Shona Project, in collaboration with Beat 102-103, iRadio, Spin South West and Spin 1038
Founded in 2006 by award winning social entrepreneur Krystian Fikert, MyMind was born out of a desire to address the gaps in mental health services in Ireland. It is the fi rst and largest blended model of mental health care in Ireland and is putting Ireland at the forefront of mental health innovation. MyMind has created a unique movement for community-based mental health services that work towards giving every person in Ireland equal access to mental health support early, affordably and directly, without stigma or delay. A&L Goodbody has been proud to use its legal skills and expertise to support MyMind to grow in scale and impact over the past decade. Sustainable Communities is one of AIB’s strategic pillars and delivering social and environmental impact is a key element of the AIB Together community programme. An important part of the programme is direct support through volunteering. Each AIB employee is entitled to two volunteering days per year and can volunteer a charity of their choice. To date, nearly 1,200 AIB staff have given 7,578 volunteer hours to FoodCloud to help them tackle the enormous environmental issue of food waste and to support local communities across Ireland through food. On the back of a successful three-year partnership, AIB is investing €1.5 million to support FoodCloud’s ambitious 2021-23 strategy.
Shine Festival
This online festival was organised by social entrepreneur Tammy Darcy and The Shona Project with Ireland’s youth radio stations, Beat 102-103, iRadio, Spin 1038 and Spin South West as media partners. The festival kicked off on International Women’s Day with over 80 of Ireland’s most inspiring women sharing their stories on a specially-created online interactive portal. Over 40,000 registered to attend this free three-day event of empowerment with the site receiving over one million views. The festival enabled girls to have their voices heard, learn how better to navigate life and to interact with their peers and other inspirational women.
The Shona Project
Excellence in Social Enterprise
*Large Indigenous Company | **Multinational Company
DPD Ireland William Fry
Lough Ree Access For All ‘Resilience’ Boat Initiative Social Impact+
DPD Ireland
DPD Ireland helped to design and fund the new Lough Ree Access for All ‘Resilience’ boat and provided key members of their senior management staff to the project team. The vessel operates like a very small car ferry with the bow lowering to allow wheelchair users to roll-on and roll-off. The design requires no lifting or hoisting and was created through consultation with members of the Independent Living Movement and Irish Wheelchair Association. This allows wheelchair users to enjoy the experience with no invasive procedures required to access the boat. Des Travers, CEO of DPD is well known for his personal support for this project and says that DPD is “committed in helping further this project wherever we can.” As a corporate law fi rm, William Fry believes it can empower and further advance the impact of social enterprises by sharing their wide-ranging skills and expertise. This form of meaningful upliftment equips social enterprises with foundational knowledge and creates long-term sustainable impact in the community. Through Social Impact+, William Fry is able to align its pro bono work with the areas its clients, people and community have said matter most to them. These include gender equality, social inclusion, neurodiversity, environmental sustainability, health and wellbeing, and more. Defi ning pro bono as both legal and non-legal support helped to create a programme that allowed all of its staff work together and use their skills to make a positive and lasting difference in the community.
William Fry
Excellence in CSR (SME)
*Large Indigenous Company | **Multinational Company
Buck & Hound Central Solutions HealthBeacon
Pro Bono Public Relations Partnership with Dublin Simon Community Water Stewardship Programmes and Partnerships HB Green Labs
Buck & Hound’s partnership with Dublin Simon Community is a proactive and reactive external communication initiative offering media relations, infl uencer engagement, design, CSR client collaboration and general consultancy support to help some of the most vulnerable in society. Key campaigns have included DSC Service Awareness, public fundraising initiatives, a Halloween costume challenge, 12 Challenges of Christmas and LGBTQ+ homelessness advocacy. To date, this has resulted in over 80 pieces of traditional coverage and extensive infl uencer social content with a combined reach in excess of 23.4 million. This has been linked to approximately €41,000 in donations and a tangible impact on awareness around available services leading to a signifi cant increase in emotional support and crisis calls. Central Solutions is a mission-focused SME based in Limerick which has been driving awareness and action on climate change and water stewardship for the last decade – both in Ireland and internationally. In that time, the Central Solutions team has developed and delivered a wide range of world-class water stewardship initiatives in collaboration with key stakeholders including Irish Water, Skillnet Ireland, SEAI, EPA, BIM and Bord Bia. Central Solutions’ dedication to driving the water stewardship agenda has delivered signifi cant and tangible impacts across companies and wider society, changing the relationship between business and this critical resource and directly supporting Goal 6 (water and sanitation) of the Sustainable Development Goals. The WHO estimates that over 16 billion injections are administered globally every year with much of this waste incinerated or sent to landfi ll. Smart Sharps Bin has been developed by HealthBeacon and is FDA-cleared for the homeinjection market to track patient injection history, provide personalised reminders and store used injections safely. As part of their extended producer responsibility (EPR) approach to business, HealthBeacon developed Green Labs to allow the re-use of their internal 2.3 litre sharps bin. The process sees the reusable sharps bins tracked, cleaned, validated and redeployed in their Smart Sharps System to patients. The immediate direct impact is the reduction in emissions, plastic, energy and water consumed.
HealthBeacon
Excellence in CSR (SME)
*Large Indigenous Company | **Multinational Company
Pale Blue Dot® Recruitment
Employee Wellbeing at Pale Blue Dot Recruitment
Spotlight Oral Care
Zero Waste Box Dental Aligner Recycling Programme
Tico Mail Works Limited
Sustainability through CSR
Pale Blue Dot Recruitment
Pale Blue Dot® Recruitment believes development and continuous learning provides an opportunity to sustain mental focus, employee wellbeing and optimal job satisfaction. Since Covid-19, the focus of its learning and development has pivoted to further focus on nurturing the wellbeing and mental health of teams. As an organization, Pale Blue Dot® Recruitment has arranged for employees to collectively participate in online webinars focused on taking care during this ever-changing time. This has helped to strengthen relationships and build resilience within teams. While the provision of learning and development opportunities has added to the success of the company, it has also contributed to the personal development of employees with teams feeling more fulfi lled and benefi tting from improved wellbeing and mental health. Spotlight’s Zero Waste Box Recycling Programme allows patients and dentists to recycle all brands of dental aligners safely and conveniently from their clinic. The company delivers a specialised box designed to sit conveniently in the reception area of a dental clinic. From there, clients can deposit their used aligners when they are fi nished with them. Spotlight encourages dental aligner users to recycle all brands of aligners, fl exible plastic packaging and cases in its dedicated recycling box. When full, the box is collected by TerraCycle with the plastic aligners then recycled and manufactured into new plastic products. Through this, Spotlight aims to reduce aligner waste and plastic pollution on a scale that has not been done before. Tico Mail Works, which delivers over 250,000 pieces of personalised mail every week, started its sustainability journey in 2014 with the publication of its fi rst Sustainability Report. When writing the report, it found it had already been taking sustainable action through a focus on work-life balance for staff, transparency and feedback for customers and suppliers, fi nancial and physical support to the community and improvements to the environment through water conservation and energy reduction measures. When the SDGs were issued in 2015, Tico used its Sustainability Report to illustrate how it was improving year-on-year to achieve the SDGs, thus helping to establish sustainability as a core part of its business.
Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion
*Large Indigenous Company | **Multinational Company
A&L Goodbody AIB Arthur Cox
Diversity and inclusion at A&L Goodbody Mentor Her Women in the Firm Initiative
Being an inclusive organisation means being inclusive to all. ALG’s Diversity and Inclusion strategy comprises fi ve pillars: gender (DARE), LGBT+ (OneALG), social mobility, disability and cultural diversity. In 2020/2021, ALG paid particular attention to implementing initiatives related to disability and cultural diversity. Its fi rst was to establish committees comprising people who were passionate about progressing and promoting inclusion in these areas. Over the last year, ALG ran a number of events that helped raise awareness of the different disabilities and cultures both in the fi rm and society. It has also highlighted the challenges the fi rm needs to overcome to become more inclusive. AIB’s Mentor Her addresses Goal 5 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals ‘Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls’ by supporting women at every level in AIB to realise their career potential. This supports AIB’s aim to achieve gender balance and embed diversity and inclusion in the company. Women are matched with senior mentors for one-onone mentoring and join a dedicated peer mentoring circle facilitated by past mentees. They develop a network of peers across AIB and benefi t from a bespoke interactive ‘women in leadership’ programme developed by external speakers to complement Mentor Her. AIB adapted the entire programme to become fully virtual in 2020, fi nding it to be more inclusive for women in its branch network and the UK. The “Women in the Firm” initiative proactively supports the career paths and progression of female talent within Arthur Cox. Its success is attributable to a carefully planned and strategically developed programme of events which includes maternity, coaching, networking lunches, mentoring, bespoke training, events for women clients and regular internal seminars. The strategy seeks to support talent by delivering initiatives to assist career development and build management expertise. The fi rm also seeks to develop an understanding of the factors which contribute to gender imbalance, thus building commitment to action for change and the implementation of measures to accelerate progress towards equity. Arthur Cox also actively collaborates with partners such as the 30% Club Ireland.
Arthur Cox
Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion
*Large Indigenous Company | **Multinational Company
Diageo Ireland
Diageo Ireland’s Progressive Inclusion & Diversity Framework
KPMG
KPMG Courageous Conversations
Law Society of Ireland
Promoting gender equality, diversity and inclusion in the solicitors’ profession
Law Society of Ireland
Diageo’s commitment is to attract and retain the most diverse talent while creating the most inclusive culture. In Ireland, Diageo aims to set and deliver against ambitious goals on gender and ethnic diversity to shape market-leading policies and practices to improve representation at every level. The company is currently working to create an inclusive and thriving hospitality sector that works for all, providing skills through the Diageo Bar Academy and improving employability and livelihoods through its Learning for Life programme (of which at least half are women). As advertisers of some of the world’s most popular brands, Diageo is using its creative and media spend to support progressive voices, celebrate diversity in its advertising and helping to shape a tolerant society. KPMG held a 72-hour virtual discussion called Courageous Conversations, inviting all its Irish colleagues to share their views and build solutions to help KPMG become an even more inclusive organisation. This unique, crowdsourced event led to the development of its Collective Action Plan, cocreated by its staff, inclusion and diversity experts, and local leaders. The plan, built around three principles, sets out the practical steps KPMG will take to tackle injustice and inequality. The Law Society of Ireland believes that taking action to promote gender equality, diversity and inclusion cannot be a oneoff initiative. Meaningful progress requires consistent and collective efforts. The future it is working towards involves more women in leadership roles and a more diverse and inclusive solicitors’ profession. To achieve this, it aims to identify and tackle the barriers facing its colleagues and those seeking to access the profession. The Law Society has embedded GEDI polices into its everyday thinking from leadership down, challenges the status quo and creates opportunities to improve access to the solicitor profession. The Law Society is there to support its members and help improve the lived experiences of all those in the profession.
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